Beast Wars Scavenger

Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Predacon
Categories: Mega Transmetal
Function: Infantry Commander
Year: 1998

A quantum surge has rocked the world of the Transformers, and now the evil infantry commander, Scavenger, has become a meched-out fire ant with awesome drilling power. Two spinning augers drill into the earth while bladed wheels thrust him forward, providing a perfect method of ambush attack and reconnaissance. One of the Maximal's most dangerous enemies Scavenger's goal is to make every Maximal unable to set foot outside without thinking twice about what might suddenly burst from underground.

Robot Mode: Scavenger was originally intended to be the Transmetal version of Inferno and it shows in his robot mode. He's got the same toothy grin, the same basic colour scheme, and the same 'cackling madman' air to him. His posability and detailing is excellent, but he does have some minor problems. One, he doesn't have any hands, which I always dislike in a robot mode. Second, the ant legs and ant head halves on his arms are a lot of kibble and get in the way quite often. Apart from that, though, he is a very good robot with a cool look.

Beast Mode: If you didn't recognize this guy as an updated version of Inferno in robot mode, you certainly will in beast mode. Scavenger becomes a robotic fire ant and pulls off the look quite well. The only downside of this mode is that the legs are too weak to support the body weight, so he always ends up squatting, but that doesn't really hurt him. Like with all Transmetals the beast mode can be modified slightly into a quasi-vehicle mode. In Scavenger's case it's a drill tank. The head folds back, the legs fold together, and he rolls along, happily drilling. The drills turn when you push him across the floor. Not a bad vehicle mode, but we've seen better in other Transmetals.

Remarks: The original prototype for this mold was called Transmetal Inferno and it was sold under that name in Japan, but renamed Scavenger for the Western market. Not sure why, maybe Hasbro needed to renew the copyright to the Scavenger name or something. Anyway, I think of this guy as Transmetal Inferno and while the figure has some problems such as the lack of hands and lots of kibble, it's still a very nice figure and recommended to Beast Wars fans such as myself.

Rating: B-